let's get started!
You don’t have to get married on a golf course! You can actually get married in some of the most STUNNING places in the world, and you don’t have to pay $15k to reserve it.
And guess what?
you're in the right place.
If the thought of getting married in a ballroom makes you cringe,
Get married at a waterfall, on a cliff, or in a canyon instead.
Eloping simply means doing what YOU want on your wedding day, with a group of your favorite people (or by yourselves), somewhere EPIC that isn’t restrained by a wedding venue.
It’s not going to the courthouse.
And it’s not even running away to Vegas.
What does "eloping" mean in 2025?
i'm ready to learn more!
"Thank you Dani for being a huge part of our elopement to Yosemite! We are so grateful to have found you on Pinterest as you are one of the HUGE reasons why we eloped and chose Yosemite! It has been a pleasure to work with you for both our Palm Springs shoot and our elopement. You are extremely creative and have an eye for what you do. We hope that you can be a part of all of our future special events! We appreciate you!! We highly recommend Dani for your engagement and elopement needs!"
- Kayla + JT
"Thank you for giving us a breathtaking gallery that we will forever cherish!"
more about me
(AND The girl with the big DREAMS)
I’m a Utah local currently bouncing around from Utah, Hawaii, and California to help beautiful couples like you get married in some of the most stunning places in the world. I’ve been photographing intentional elopements for over 6 years now after shooting big weddings for a couple years prior - and I can honestly say there’s nothing more magical than having an INTENTIONAL, small and intimate day like an adventurous elopement to celebrate the beginning of your lives together. Trust me - I’ve seen it all. Eloping brings it back to YOU and your marriage, which I think is the most important part of a wedding day.
Hi, I'm Dani!
Meet your destination elopement photographer
a few things to note about me:
- Give me an iced chai latte with a beautiful, quiet sunset and I’m a happy gal.
- I have a goal to summit Timpanogos Mountain this year in 2023. Building up for Whitney in California one day soon!
- I have 3 boys and them, along with my husband and our two dogs, are my world.
- I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for God’s grace.
- I like the three main food groups: bread, cheese, and butter. Combine them in any way and it’s my favorite.
If you have no idea where to start when it comes to planning an elopement, that’s where I come in. Not only will I photograph your day, but I’ll also be your guide throughout any national park or region that you decide to elope. I know the permit officers in most parks to help make sure we have permission, and have many connections throughout the USA to help us plan the day of your dreams.
Don't worry.
I’ll be your all-inclusive elopement day planner and guide.
Not sure how to have an adventurous, destination elopement?
this sounds great!
My philosophy with the way I take your photos is to be a fly on the wall - watching your day that we've planned together unfold as we have the BEST time! To make you comfortable, I first make sure we are friends (text me anytime!), and play music. I'll have you telling each other things, and doing fun activities to make our photos ACTUALLY natural, and not posed.
If fake poses make you feel icky,
If fake poses make you feel icky,
then you've found the right photographer.
This all happens
because
of trust
and friendship
We can create the best magic if we trust each other, and more importantly, feel comfortable with each other.
Here are a few ways I help to make that happen:
This all happens because of trust and friendship
When we are friends, that's when the most natural photos happen! IMMEDIATELY after you book me, we'll be texting each other, hopping on more Zoom planning calls, and getting to know each other even more. I'll also fly out a day before your elopement and meet you IN PERSON before your actual wedding day - that way we feel comfortable with each other before I even touch my camera. The most natural photos are the ones where you can be yourselves, and the best way for that to happen is when you're comfortable with me!
The most NATURAL photos are the ones where you are both truly enjoying each other's presence together. The best way to make that happen is to plan activities around the whole day of your elopement. Picnics, hiking, swimming in the ocean with dolphins, you name it - we can make it happen. I also really enjoy making EVERY MOMENT on your wedding day intentional. That means taking every minute to NOT make it about the picture-perfect photos, but the ones that are truly YOU enjoying your wedding day!
The images that bring you back to an emotion are the ones that will forever and ever remain important to you. You’re not thinking about it now - but photography shouldn’t just be something on a checklist that you need to accomplish. Photography is arguably THE most important thing to invest in on your wedding day. Because you’re putting me in charge of your memories. And my goal is for you to have images that will last for decades to come, so you can relive your day, emotions and all, over and over again.
friendship
activities
Timelessness
No. 1
No. 2
No. 3
let's get the ball rolling
"I'd rather be in the mountains getting married"
If you're thinking this, and you’ve got less than 50 of your closest friends and family, cheering you on as you get married in a place that stimulates the adventure in your souls,
then that’s what I’m here for.
if you've ever said that, let's chat.
Will we get beautiful photos? Of course. But the most beautiful ones are the ones that happen naturally, when you're both truly enjoying your wedding day together. And that's my priority - to make it the best day ever!
It's about making it the most intentional day ever.
Your day is not just about the photos to me.
okay dani, I'm in!
here's how it works:
I'll break it down for you
step-by-step.
After you inquire through my website, we'll hop on a phone call to discuss more of your vision. After that, we'll start the planning process and I'll get right on it!
Book me as your destination elopement photographer.
let's get planning!
I'll send you a questionnaire right after you sign the contract - asking everything to help me further understand what type of location, region, and feel you're looking for on your big day.
Start the planning process.
After the questionnaire is filled out, I'll send you my location list that I've tailored to be EXACTLY what you're looking for. Location scouting is my forté! You’ll also receive my recommended vendors to reach out to, and I’ll also throw in a couple of recommended activities that we can look into for your elopement day (helicopter ride anyone?!)
Go over locations & vendors
Once locations are set, we’ll secure your permits together by reaching out to the appropriate people to make sure we have permission to host a ceremony and take photos in certain locations. (It's really important to work with a photographer who is knowledgeable in this area!).
Secure permits & book vendors
Next, we’ll hop on another Zoom call once you’re date approaches and build out your timeline of the entire day out together.
Build your timeline
I’ll fly out the day before your elopement to hang out with you! We can get drinks, food, coffee, you name it - and finally get to meet in person before we get you married!
Fly out & get you married!
When you're done getting married, the cool thing is you're already in SUCH a beautiful spot - just hang out and enjoy being newlyweds! In retrospect, you actually save money sticking around for your honeymoon - since you don't have to take two trips!
Enjoy the rest of your trip!
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words from others
who eloped:
- Ashlyn & canaan
"To Dani our traveling, hiking, pregnant, wedding officiant, photographer videographer, adventurous, DJ, friend. Thank you for making our wedding day the most unforgettable day of our life. When we first thought about planning our wedding we did not have a clue about what we wanted to do. However I found myself going back to your page daily even hourly to look at some of the previous elopements you have captured. Finally we decided we would contact you and see what it was all about. After setting up a zoom meeting with you we instantly connected and even felt like we knew you forever. We love how you stayed in touch constantly up until the wedding giving us options of places in Hawaii we could choose and even taking suggestions on places we thought might work. (Side note we had a blast when we grabbed dinner the night before the wedding!) Anyways the wedding day went exactly as we had it pictured in our heads. My husband and I are extremely shy and introverted which is one of the reasons we didn’t have a big wedding in the first place. Trust me when I say we are not the type to take a lot of photos of ourselves! However when it came to the ceremony and photos you were able to coach us right out of that awkwardness. This is where we really believe your experience and professionalism shined and really it paid off! I couldn’t imagine spending this day any other way. Lastly despite it being the first time we had our photos taken with a REAL CAMERA we absolutely loved the final product. They turned out a 1000 times better than what I had pictured in my head. We HIGHLY recommend Dani for any of your elopement needs. Especially to those out there who are not comfortable in front of a camera!!"
- amanda & dominic
"WOW! We cannot recommend Dani Purington enough, truly. She was absolutely wonderful to work with on our special day - and we honestly feel so blessed to have been able to have such a dedicated, outgoing, and passionate person to capture our story. Looking through our gallery, we are taken back to those moments and can feel the emotion we were experiencing at the time it was captured. Dani has such a gift to be able to timelessly capture all of the feelings with each photo. Please hear me when I say, do not miss your chance to work with her! Long before a picture was ever taken, Dani was responsive and helpful every step of the way. She addressed any concern and answered every question we tossed her way, always with kindness and understanding. As our day approached there were various situations that arose which altered our original plans - but though every challenge Dani remained calm and worked continuously to create a seamless experience for us. With every call, email, and time spent together - we ended the experience feeling like we gained a friend through it all. Book with Dani Purington, you will be so glad that you did!"
"Dani has been absolutely amazing to work with! We had our wedding planned for May 2020 but because of covid it had to be replanned or postponed a total of SIX times! Dani was with us through all of it, was very flexible and understanding and worked with us on all our different attempts at getting married. We finally ended up deciding to move the traditional wedding to Sept 2021 (for which we've booked her again) and eloping in Yosemite a few weeks ago. Just a few days before we had to replan again to elope elsewhere due to wildfires, Dani was again super flexible and understanding, and we finally had a perfect elopement in Joshua Tree NP. Not only was she amazing to work with in that regard, but we got our ceremony video and teaser photos after just a couple days!! It was great to be able to share those with our parents right away and relive the ceremony as it all happened so quickly! BOOK DANI! She is super fun and easy to work with and will take absolutely gorgeous photos that look more like art than the traditional wedding photos you're used to seeing."
- Karina & will
Paulina S.
“Dani was BY FAR one of the most important vendors for our day because we felt like we were working with a helpful friend rather than a vendor, which also made her the most fun vendor to work with. Dani’s my favorite—I was a fan before and now I'm obsessed. I'll recommend her to anyone and everyone who will listen because she’s talented, amazing, and so incredibly helpful.”
Aliza B.
"I felt such an immense sense of calm knowing that Dani was there on our big day, and I had the biggest burst of adrenaline and excitement when I received our photos. They captured every detail, every human we love, every moment that flew by. I will be proud of these photos and Dani's work for the next 100 years!"
Kate H.
"Dani thrives off of adventure - she does her homework and scouts ahead for places to shoot before the event, making everything more streamlined and smooth. Her editing skills are stunning and the moments she captures are unparalleled. When you hire her, you're putting your trust in HER and what she's capable of, and you really do gain a friend in the process. I couldn't recommend her more."
Jordan D.
"I literally had happy tears reading about that day and seeing the pictures again. I will NEVER get tired of looking at these! You are so amazing and I am glad that we went with you to document our day!! It was so helpful for you to scout out beforehand because we never would have had such a successful day without you there for us and it was also such a great touch to have a meal with you beforehand! Oh and also that we got our teasers back the next day to look at! That was so unexpected and such a cool thing for us!"
